


Cataclysm

by particularlygeeky



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, MariBat, Rare Pair, tim/mari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:54:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20965361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/particularlygeeky/pseuds/particularlygeeky
Summary: Marinette got hit by Chat's cataclysm in Dark Cupid.  It didn't affect her until Lila came.  Now, its a race against time to try to stop the effects of the cataclysm before she crumbles away.





	Cataclysm

Dark Cupid was when it all began. Chat, when he was reaching for her earrings, had brushed one cataclysmed finger on her collarbone. The pain was explosive, but Marinette managed to push past it to do what needed to be done. She was Ladybug, she couldn't let something as minor as pain keep her from doing her job. Dark Cupid was defeated, she had kissed Chat, and he seemed to have forgotten everything he had done when he was under the control of the akuma. It was probably a good thing. The Miraculous Cure was cast, and everything was put back the way it was.

Except.

Her collarbone still ached.

Marinette rushed to her room, dropping her transformation and raced to her bathroom. Tikki followed her, floating nervously. A line, almost like a jagged crack in the earth had formed along her collarbone, discoloring the skin around it. Her skin wasn't broken, and the crack seemed almost like a bruise, but when Marinette gingerly touched it, it felt like someone had sucker-punched her very soul.

"Tikki!" she shrieked as quietly as she could, panic clouding her eyes. "Why didn't it go away?"

The kwami flew down to the edge of the sink, and with big, sad eyes, she explained, "Ladybug and Chat Noir are the balance to each other. Fixing objects is easy, but creating life is difficult, even as destroying it can be easy. If the Black Cat uses his power on a person, Ladybug cannot bring them back. With you, though, you're bonded to the Ladybug Miraculous, so my magic will keep you alive. It can't get rid of the cataclysm entirely though."

"It won't ever go away?" Marinette asked, eyes torn between relief that she wasn't dying and horror that she would have that for the rest of her life.

"No. But, it can get worse. The Black Cat and the Ladybug _have_ to be in balance, in perfect harmony. If one of you tips the balance, the cataclysm will start to kill you, and it will be slow and painful."

"Okay, so just make sure that Chat and I are in perfect harmony. Got it. Easy."

And it was. The pair worked seamlessly together for a long time. They had their bumps, like Glaciator, but for the most part, she and Chat were the perfect partners. Marinette had high hopes that she would be able to live the rest of her life without ever having to worry about the occasional hit that would send pain arcing through her body.

Then Lila came.

It had been a rough day for Marinette, her shoulder bothering her more than it ever had before, and she had felt chilly all day. "Tikki, what's going on?" she asked her kwami when she finally made it to her room.

"You are no longer in balance, and the cataclysm is taking over your body," Tikki said, great big tears dripping from her eyes as she took in the sight of the black mark on her Chosen's collarbone. It had grown, veins breaking away from the main crack, twisting their way down her chest and back. There were only a few tendrils trailing up her neck, and they were only a light blue at that point. In fact, none of the new marks were the same black as the first, but varying shades of blue, purple, and green. Rather like bruises.

"What did I do? How do I fix the balance?" Marinette cried, fingers hovering over the mark.

"It wasn't you, Marinette," Tikki said, flying up to Marinette's other side and nuzzling her cheek. "It was Chat Noir. He didn't stand up for you when he should have and actively chose not to. He upset the balance."

"Is there anything we can do?"

Tikki hated seeing her child so broken and defeated. Her heart ached for her. But there really wasn’t anything they could do. If Marinette was going to be saved, either Chat had to fix his mistake ten-fold, or they had to find a new Chat that would be a perfect balance. Either option was going to be difficult, and Tikki prayed that the Guardian would do the right thing.

Lila's grip on the class didn't fade. They weren't actively bullying her, and occasionally, Alya would plan an activity with just Marinette, but those days were few and far between. Instead, she was ignored, forgotten, left behind, _abandoned_. Not even Adrien, who promised he would be with her, was there.

Marinette lost what little color she had left in her. Her designs were still beautiful, but they had a raw edge to them, that somehow expressed her pain. Her parents noticed, Jagged noticed, Penny noticed, Luka, Kagami, and Marc noticed. They saw their Everyday Ladybug being drained of life day by day. She was being sucked dry, and they were helpless.

Eventually, Marinette was constantly cold, her body's energy going to fighting the cataclysm instead of maintaining her body temperature. She wore long sleeve shirts now, often with a turtle neck to hide the veins of destruction coursing through her body. A slight bump would elicit a whimper on a good day, and sobs on a bad day. No one knew what to do. Doctors couldn't figure out what the disease that was eating Marinette was. Specialists all shrugged their shoulders. Hundreds of tests were done, each coming back with the same answer: her body was shutting down and there was no reason why besides the mysterious black mark.

Marinette was extremely sick, and hardly any of her class noticed. A few expressed concern, like Juleka and Nathanial and Chloe. The rest just assumed she was doing it for attention. Marinette was wasting away.

Tom and Sabine were worried. Incredibly so. They decided that a vacation was in order, and called up an old family friend, Alfred Pennyworth. He suggested a modest hotel at a fair price, close by to Wayne Manor. As it so happened, the class had also scheduled a class trip to Gotham at the same time, though they all forgot to let Marinette know about it. They ended up in the same hotel, only a few floors separating them. Their shock when they saw Marinette was palpable.

"What are you doing here?" Alya stuttered out.

"I'm on vacation," Marinette answered, looking around at her classmates in confusion. She leaned back on her papa's arm, allowing herself to rest before the confrontation that was about to happen. "Why are you all here?"

"The school organized a trip to Gotham," Lila answered with a flip of her hair. "Which you would know if you even bothered to show up to class anymore. I honestly don't understand why you're still class president with how lazy you've been lately."

Murmurs of agreement flittered through the group. Marinette's eyes watered. This was what they saw. This is what she had become in her classmates' eyes.

She looked over at her Maman, blinking slowly as she realized that her old friends had awoken the dragon within Sabine Cheng. "Maman," she whispered, wincing as she reached over to put a hand on her mum's arm.

"Sweetie, they're hurting you," she growled.

"Let's just go visit Alfred. Please."

"No, I need to say something to them first."

Marinette exchanged a glance with her Papa. When Maman's mind was made up, no one could stop her.

"You have all belittled my daughter time and time again, and I will not stand for it anymore. My little girl has been sick for months, and you've done nothing but hurt her when you should have been offering her support."

"She doesn't look sick to me. Probably faking it to get attention," Lila said with a flip of her hair.

"Please, Maman," Marinette begged, tugging weakly on her mom's arm. "It's not worth it."

"Yes it is. The doctors have told us that they have no idea what's wrong, but that mark is--is--It's k-killing her."

Marinette closed her eyes, her whole soul exhausted by the effort to pretend that everything was okay. It wasn't. Tikki had told her that Marinette had days left before she crumbled completely and was gone. The Ladybug Miraculous was able to slow it down a little so she could say good-bye to the people that really mattered. Like Kagami and Luka, who both knew her identity and what was happening to her. Both had offered to take the Black Cat miraculous, but Tikki had told them that neither were a good match for that miraculous. Only a true Cat could reverse this cataclysmic disease.

"What?"

Adrien's voice cut through the chatter that had picked up at her mom's awful proclamation.

She opened her eyes to find piercing green ones staring at her own. Eyes that looked like they were breaking apart inside.

"You're dying?"

"Of course not," Alya scoffed. "She'd tell us if she was."

Juleka looked at Marinette, and she had the distinct impression that the girl was reading her soul, just like Luka did. She couldn't hide anything from him, and apparently, she couldn't hide anything from his sister, either.

"It's true," the girl muttered, so softly that only Marinette was able to pick up on it. Only Marinette was listening for the quiet voice.

As much as she hurt from her friends' inaction and exclusion, Marinette still loved them deeply. And her heart broke at the pain she saw in Juleka's eyes. While everyone else was agreeing with Alya, Marinette shared a private moment with her friend, mourning the time they had lost the last few months. Their hearts broke together, and silent tears ran down Juleka's cheeks, hearing the pain that her friend was in. No wonder Marinette hadn't been seen or heard of by anyone but Luka, who went to the bakery every afternoon, without fail.

"I'm sorry," Marinette whispered back, hoping to ease some of the pain her friend was feeling. She turned back to her Maman, who was busy shouting at Alya in Mandarin. They needed to leave, to see Alfred. He would be picking them up at any moment and it would be best if they were waiting for him outside.

A strange tinkling sound was heard, almost as if a haunting lullaby was being played on strings. Marinette looked around the lobby, trying to place the sound. It was achingly familiar, but terrifying at the same time. The receptionist had frozen, eyes wide with fear before she picked up the phone and frantically punched in a few numbers.

"JOKER!" she screamed just as she was hit with a small gas bomb.

"Now, now, that's not very nice of you. The cops only ever spoil the fun." The voice was far too cheerful to be natural, and his words--his words sent a shiver down Marinette's spine. She turned towards the voice and saw the infamous Joker in all of his purple and green horror. The receptionist's wheezing laughter only added to the eerie entrance, and Marinette felt her anxiety spike. With her dad's hand holding her close, she had no chance of running off and transforming into Ladybug, not that she would be able to do much. (Chloe had been taking over as the leader of the team of heroes, with Kagami often coming up with the plans. After the battle, Luka or Kagami would bring the akuma to Marinette, who would then transform, purify the butterfly and repair any damages to the city. It was all she could handle.)

"Well, well, well. Lookie here. Frenchies!" the Joker taunted, looking around the class, eyes searching for any kind of weakness to exploit.

Rose whimpered. Mylene sobbed. Joker stalked towards them both before catching sight of Marinette. His permanent grin stretched even wider as he took in the sickly girl, barely able to hold herself up, let alone fight.

"You look like you need a little more LAUGHTER in your life," he cackled, hitting both of Marinette's parents with Joker Venom, causing them to bend over, holding their stomachs as they laughed themselves silly. Marinette's knees buckled, and her legs collapsed out from under her, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Hmm," Joker mused, circling the girl slowly, while his goons herded everyone to the back of the lobby, away from windows. "You're quite the damsel in distress, aren't you, Princess."

Marinette couldn't repress the shudder that swept through her as she felt the man's hungry gaze dissect her every weakness. Six months ago, she could have taken the notorious clown, but now . . .

"You just need a dashing Prince to rescue you. Or maybe a bat?"

Joker snatched Marinette's arm, his grip like iron as he dragged her further into the hotel, towards the elevator. The pain was excruciating, and it took everything Marinette had in her to not make a sound that would alert the Joker to her pain. Instead, she bit her tongue, hoping to keep her mouth shut. The elevator doors opened, and Joker threw her inside, not caring that she hit her head on the wall, and slid to the floor, lying limply, though still conscious.

"I wonder if the Batman would care for this little wretch. I wish I still had one of the Robins to play with; that would have gotten ol' Batsy to play with me." Joker was talking to himself, completely ignoring Marinette, who was no longer stunned from the blow to her head.

She looked down at her side, where her purse lay and locked gazes with Tikki. Her big, blue eyes were wide with fear, and Marinette's heart broke. She wanted to comfort her kwami, so desperately, but that would alert Joker to Tikki, and Marinette refused to let that happen. Instead, she put all the love and gratitude she felt for her little friend in her gaze, hoping that Tikki understood.

"We're going to give Gotham a show, little Princess," Joker announced as the elevator dinged. He grabbed Marinette by the arm again, and she had to bit her lip to keep from screaming. A sharp, metallic taste washed over her tongue, and Marinette fought the urge to spit it out. That would do no one any good, especially if Joker saw it as another weakness.

Joker dumped Marinette along the wall of the VIP suite, and after fighting down a wave of nausea, she took the chance to survey her surroundings, taking note of anything she could use to escape. _Escape is useless. You're too weak to even try_, her mind whispered, and Marinette brushed it aside. She had to _try_. For Maman and Papa. For Kagami, Luka, and Chloe. For Juleka, who acknowledged her pain in her own special way. She had to **fight**.

Directly in front of her was a camera. Joker was rigging a convoluted contraption that she assumed was some kind of trap for Batman. A henchmen appeared from the doorway, gingerly carrying a bomb. Once he handed it off to the clown, he came over to the camera, prepping it, and making sure that it was ready to broadcast. Marinette let her mind wander to her classmates downstairs, hoping they were still alive. Especially her Maman and Papa.

A loud ticking caused Marinette to jump, her pulse skyrocketing. Joker was standing over her with the bomb in his hands. He motioned the goon over, and Marinette was yanked upright by her hair. At this point, her body was too weak to fight back, and she could only whimper quietly. Her purse was torn from her and chucked off to the side and Marinette felt a lurch of fear. Was Tikki okay? Was she injured?

"Here's a pretty piece of jewelry for a pretty Princess to wear," Joker jibed at her. With the henchmen holding her up, Joker was able to make quick work of strapping the bomb to her chest, winching it tightly, causing Marinette's body to shriek with pain. Not a sound escaped her lips. She had some dignity left.

Her hands were tied roughly behind her back, and her legs were strapped together, leaving Marinette open and vulnerable. Joker took over for the goon, and put on a particularly wide smile. He used a scene clicker that he pulled from who knows where, and counted down.

"HELLO GOTHAM!!! WELCOME TO THE CLOWN CONUNDRUM!!! WE ARE ACCOMPANIED TONIGHT BY THIS PRINCESS. Go on, wave at the camera, Princess." Joker used his loudest and most annoying announcer voice, and Marinette's head was starting to pound. "OH WAIT, SHE'S A LITTLE TIED UP AT THE MOMENT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Marinette's eyes darted towards her purse, looking desperately for Tikki, but they both knew it was too dangerous for the kwami to be in the open, just in case Joker spotted her and grabbed her.

"THIS CHALLENGE IS SPECIFICALLY FOR RED HOOD AND RED ROBIN. MY FAVORITES. YOU DO YOUR PA PROUD, BOYS!" A particularly horrifying laugh filled Marinette's ears, and she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing down the bile that was working its way up her throat. Not here. Not here.

"WHAT DOES THIS CHALLENGE ENTAIL? WELL! LET ME TELL YOU. RED ROBIN AND RED HOOD WILL BE COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER IN A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. THEY EACH HAVE A PUZZLE TO SOLVE. FIRST ONE TO SOLVE IT DETERMINES WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PRINCESS. IF RED ROBIN WINS, SHE GETS THE CROWBAR AND THE BOMB GOES OFF. IF RED HOOD WINS, A DIFFERENT BOMB GOES OFF, SOAKING PRINCESS HERE IN THE SAME CHEMICALS THAT BRAINWASHED RED ROBIN. TICK TOCK, BOYS!"

She was definitely going to be sick. This was not the way she thought she was going to die. Marinette had planned on taking a walk to one of the beautiful parks in Gotham, and letting herself go as the cataclysm finally took over completely. She wasn't planning on dying a horrific death at the hands of a madman. But life rarely went as planned.

"Let's set the bait for my little trap," Joker sang as he hauled Marinette over to the contraption he had been working on. In the center was a chair, and Marinette was quickly tied to it, the rope biting into her skin. There were booby traps set up all around her, making it impossible to step anywhere without setting something off.

"Ta-ta, Princess. I've got to go film at my other locations. Your princes should be arriving soon," Joker crowed, as he ran a finger down Marinette's cheek. "Don't wriggle around too much. We don't want the bomb to go off too early. And don't worry, we'll capture the reaction on camera," he finished, pointing to the cameras set up in each corner of the room.

"DON'T FORGET TO SMILE!" And with that, the Joker was gone, leaving Marinette alone in a booby-trapped room with a bomb strapped to her chest.

"Marinette," whispered Tikki, poking her head out from the purse. "Are you okay?"

She didn't want to move. She couldn't move! This wasn't how she was supposed to die!

"Don't panic, please!" Tikki begged as she carefully flew through the trap, making sure not to set anything off by accident. The last thing they needed was the bomb to go off early.

She couldn't breathe. Her chest. Too constricted. Fire. Coursing through her veins, snatching her breath before it left her lungs. Her body, it--it couldn't move!

"Marinette, you're going to be okay!"

"Tikki," she gasped out, before sucking in another breath.

"Hold on. Help is on the way."

"I think--I think it--it's time."

"No. You are NOT going to die!" Tikki sobbed, desperately clinging to Marinette's cheek. "I REFUSE to let you die!"

"Joker aggravated the cataclysm," Marinette mumbled. "Hurts. So bad."

"Just hang on. I'll help the heroes get you out and then we'll deal with the cataclysm."

"You need to hide. No one can know my--"

"Nope. I don’t care about hiding your identity anymore. What matters is you making it out of this death trap alive."

Marinette's head tipped forward, her chin resting just above where the bomb was strapped to her. Darkness invaded her mind, and she was lost.

* * *

"I hate the Joker," Red Hood spat as they surveyed the VIP suite opposite them. They were on the roof of the neighboring building, and Red Robin was searching the room, using his infrared binoculars.

"I do too, Red," he sighed. Joker was off kidnapping other victims and placing bombs on them. The entire team had been deployed as soon as Alfred had called and said that the Joker was attacking the hotel where one of his long-time friends was staying.

"The door and windows are all booby-trapped, so we'll have to disable those before we even try to get into the room or we're all blown sky high."

"Not something I want to repeat," answered Hood, and RR rolled his eyes.

"The girl's not moving anymore. Did Joker gas her before he left?"

"I didn't see anything on the video. It might have been a timed release."

Hood moved to the edge of the roof. "Alright, Timbo. You take the south window. I'll handle the door."

"What?"

"Let's face it. You're the smartest, but I'm the best with explosives. I'll take the door, and then we won't all blow up."

After a moment's consideration, Red Robin nodded, and Jason leapt off the roof, fired a grappling cable, and swung over to the other building. With a leap, Tim followed, calculating the best place to land. There was a balcony two floors down that would give them a foot hold to reach the highest floor of the hotel. Thankfully, the hotel wasn't smooth glass, like some of the buildings in Metropolis, or he would have a very hard time climbing up to the right floor.

"Are you in position yet?" Red Hood's voice crackled over the com.

"Give me five minutes."

It took less time than that to reach the south window of the VIP suite. He let Jason know and immediately began working on solving the puzzle of booby traps that was the window. There was a vibration detector on the window, a bomb wired to it. He'd have to get through the window without breaking the glass or setting off the sensor. Tim looked for anything else that he would have to disable before breaking into the room.

"It can't be this easy," he muttered, taking out the binary fluid that easily burned through the glass. He placed one of his special batarangs to the window, and with a slight tug, pulled the glass from the pane without setting off the vibration sensors. He jumped down and placed the glass carefully on the balcony below before climbing back up.

"Time to find the trap." Tim took out the bag of chalk powder that he had stolen from Dick and tossed it into the room. With the cloud of dust he was able to see the lasers that criss-crossed over the window, blocking his entry. Tim groaned. He hated lasers. This was Dick's thing, not his.

"Do you need help?" squeaked a voice right next to him.

Tim's grip slipped, and he crashed to the balcony below, wincing as he looked up at the window. No explosion. "What was that?" he muttered.

"Are you okay?"

The voice was right next to him again, and Tim jerked away, looking around wildly for the source. No one should be up this high. A small, floating red thing hovered in front of his face.

"What are you?"

"I'm a kwami," it answered. "My name's Tikki and I want to offer you my help."

"Why?" Tim was suspicious. Probably Bruce's fault. He didn't want to trust some tiny plushie that was randomly in the room that Joker had rigged. He wouldn't put it past the madman to have hallucinogenic drugs that released upon opening the window.

"I'm Marinette's kwami," the creature said, her voice squeaky and painful to Tim's ears. She was vibrating, almost like she was nervous about something. "She's going to die, and I need you to get in there to help her!"

"I was trying to get into the room, but you scared me."

The kwami shook its head. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you misunderstand. She's really sick and she needs a special doctor. Please, I can help you get past those lasers and all the booby traps, but you have to help her."

Tim took a deep breath. Time was running out, and he needed to get in there to help Jason. He nodded.

"I'll disarm the lasers and as many bombs that I know of." The kwami disappeared up through the window, leaving Tim staring after her in shock and a little bit of confusion. He shook his head and climbed back up to the window, perching on the ledge just outside.

"They're off," the kwami said.

Tim took out another handful of chalk, the first having already dispersed and tossed it into the room. No lasers.

"Anything else I should look out for before I climb through?" he asked the creature.

She shook her head. Tim climbed through. With the kwami's help, he was able to disarm all of the booby traps that stood in his way to getting to the girl in the center of the room. He stepped onto the small platform that she was on at the same time as Jason, who had been working on his traps the entire time Tim was on the balcony below.

Carnival music started up, and the platform spun slowly. Tim immediately dropped into a defensive stance, Jay doing the same on the opposite side.

"Oh dear," the kwami creature cried, flying over to the girl. "She's holding on, but she needs help soon or she's going to die." Tears dripped out of her large eyes, and Tim couldn't help but feel a small bit of sympathy for the creature, though he still believed it was one of Joker's many creations.

"I hate the Joker," Jason said as he took a step towards the center and immediately lost his balance as a small trap door opened up beneath his foot.

"OH HOODSIE-BOY! YOU SHOULD KNOW ITS NOT AS EASY AS THAT!" Joker's voice echoed through the room. "YOU HAVE TO PLAY MY GAME STILL!"

Tim's hand twitched to his bo staff, aching to hit the Joker that had made both of their lives hell.

"How about this instead?" Jay shouted. "You let us get her help, and I'll make your death a quick one when I find you."

"WHERE'S THE LOVE FOR YOUR OLD MAN? CAN'T TAKE A JOKE?"

"What's the game, Joker," Tim asked, needing to get this over with. He had been observing the girl as best as he could from his position, and, as much as he distrusted the kwami, she was right about one thing. The girl looked on the verge of death. Her cheekbones were hollow and her eyes sunken. Her pale skin looked transparent, and her veins had a black tint to them.

"WELL, AREN'T YOU ANTSY, ROBIN RED!" Joker cackled. Tim's grip on his staff tightened. "SINCE YOU BOTH GOT TO THE PLATFORM AT THE SAME TIME, YOU HAVE TO PLAY A LITTLE BONUS ROUND. YOU HAVE TO PLAY A SCAVENGER HUNT FOR ONE. LAST. BOMB."

"Ugh," Jason groaned. "Why do all of the villains have to be so dramatic."

"I'LL GIVE YOU A CLUE, JUST BECAUSE I'M NICE. I SEE ALL, HEAR EVERYTHING. OFTEN FORGOTTEN, BUT EVERYONE HAS ONE."

Tim looked around, desperate for some kind of clue that would lead him to the answer. He hated riddles that had a time limit. What could be forgotten but everyone has one?

"Camera," Jason called from the other side. Tim glanced at the cameras in each corner and dismissed them. That wasn't dramatic enough for the Joker.

"YOU REALLY ARE THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY, RED HOOD. BUT YOU WERE CLOSE, SO I'LL ALLOW YOU TO TAKE A STEP FORWARD."

A camera. A camera. Not the ones in the corners, and there wasn't any other sign of hidden cameras in the hotel room. _Come on, Tim, think!_ His mind ran through all the different cameras people interacted with, and an image appeared in his brain of a selfie he and Dick had taken just that morning.

"A cell phone camera," he said.

"DING DING DING!! WE HAVE A WINNER!" Joker crowed. "NOW FOR THE PRIZE!"

Tim leapt across the platform, just in time to block a blow from a hidden crowbar. It was an automated machine, which was easily destroyed with a savage blow from his bo staff.

"HOOD!! GET OVER HERE!!" Tim shouted, as he surveyed the complex bomb strapped to the girl's chest. It was going to be tricky to disarm without setting it off, and it looked like it was rigged to blow if they tried to move it off of her. Tim moved so Jason could get a good look at the bomb, and cut through the ropes tying her up.

"Bombs. I can do bombs," Jason muttered, as he took two giant steps before he was next to them. He looked at the kwami and back to Tim. "Why is there a fairy here?"

"No time. Just help me figure out how to disarm this thing!"

"Right. Okay, so there's four wires here to set off the ignition device. The blue one---is a dud. The red one sets off the ignition immediately after you cut it, so don't cut that one. The purple is actually a tube of Joker Venom, so don't cut that one either. That leaves the orange--"

"Cut the orange." Tim grabbed a batarang, and carefully separated the other wires from the orange one and sliced it.

A screen popped out, a timer displayed counting down from three minutes. "Jay--"

Jason cursed loudly, and immediately began looking closer at the bomb. "Okay, I can disable the rigging and get the bomb off of the girl," he states as he stripped off his gloves and helmet and reached into the device. The girl whimpered, and tried to shift away.

"Easy, easy," Tim whispered, running a hand through her hair. "You're going to be okay."

The kwami landed on the girl's shoulder, looking down at the bomb, worry painted in her eyes. "Did you find the phone?"

Wait. The phone. Tim cursed. He had been so distracted by the bomb on the girl's chest, that he had completely forgotten about the riddle he had had to solve. Tim checked the girl's pockets, but there wasn't any phone to be found. Nothing.

"It's wedged under this thing," Jason said. "It looks like a call to this phone will set the whole bomb off, but I can't get to it until I get this one off of her."

"Try cutting the wires around her back," the kwami offered.

Jason and Tim exchanged looks, each knowing exactly what to do. They traded places, with Jason at his side and Tim in front. On the count of three, they leaned her forward, and Jason made quick work of undoing the last of the straps and wires that held the bomb onto the girl.

"It's off," Tim said, pushing the girl back in the chair and gently setting the bomb off to the side along with the phone.

"Take her down to her parents. There's an ambulance waiting for her down there, too, as well as Agent A."

"What about you?"

"I'll handle the bomb. I'd rather it not blow up when all three of us are in here."

Tim hesitated, but nodded. The girl was getting paler by the second, and Tim knew they were running out of time, both with the bomb and with the girl. "I'll go out the window. It'll be faster than taking the stairs."

The kwami settled on the girl's shoulder, as Tim picked her up, careful to not jostle her too much. He couldn't hold her bridal style, which would have been the gentlest, but he had a strong grip around her waist as he jumped out the window, using his grappling line to slow his fall. It took less than a minute to reach the ground, where police officers, media personnel, EMTs, and Alfred were already gathered.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, the kwami darted off of Marinette's shoulder, and flew directly to Alfred. Tim took a moment to adjust Marinette into a bridal hold, and followed the kwami to the family's butler and glue.

"Please, you were one of Duusu's birds and were helping Master Fu with the book. You might be able to save Marinette," the kwami was saying.

"Wait, what?" Tim asked, confused.

"Miss Marinette needs immediate medical attention. She was hit by the Black Cat Cataclysm and is dying because her partnership with him is out of balance. She needs either the old holder to make amends completely, or she needs a new partner in order for her to be stable, once again." Alfred looked at the kwami. "Do you know of any true Black Cats that could take over?"

"No," the kwami said. "I can't feel Cats, just Ladybugs. Plagg is over by the police though. He's with the rest of the French class. He can probably tell you who is a match for the Cat Miraculous."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alfred said, holding his hand out for the kwami to land in and marching towards the group of French students who were all gathered around one student who was wailing great, big crocodile tears.

Jason landed in front of Tim, stumbling a little.

"You got it disarmed already?" the younger boy asked.

"Nope." An explosion rocked the building, and the tremors caused several people to fall, including most of the French kids. "Time ran out, and I'd rather not get blown up again. Figured the old man could help pay for damages."

"No time for chit chat. Miss Marinette is dying," Alfred snapped.

"Sorry, A."

"What's going on?" Jay asked.

"To be honest, I have no idea. They were talking about a cat and a ladybug and miraculouses, and I got lost."

They reached the group of kids before Alfred had a chance to explain. The couple that must have been the girl's parents rushed forward, their eyes searching their girl's face desperately.

"Is she--?" the father asked Tim.

He shook his head.

"Not yet," Alfred cut in. "And I may have an idea of how to help her. I just need Plagg."

Right on cue, a black thing zoomed away from the blonde boy close to the middle of the group. He had turned as soon as the black, oh, it was another kwami, left his jacket pocket and had pushed his way through the crowd.

"Plagg!!! Don't run off on me again!"

"Sugar-cube!" the black kwami said, colliding with the other one. "How is she?"

"She's not going to last the night," Tikki(?) said. The boy skidded to a stop right by their parents.

"Tikki? What are you doing here?"

"Adrien--" the black one started before being cut off.

"Marinette's Ladybug, isn't she?"

The parents looked down at their daughter in shock, and their hands reached out to caress their daughter's face.

"I'm sorry, Monsieur and Madame, but I need to sit. She's light, but I'd rather have her closer to the ground, if I can help it," Tim said softly, and at their nod, he dropped down, crossing his legs and holding the girl close.

"Marinette is Ladybug," the blonde kid whispered again.

"Look, kid. I've done everything I could," the black kwami sounded exhausted. "I've tried to help you change, but it's too late. You can't be Chat anymore, Adrien."

Adrien curled one of his hands around his other, guarding a ring. "No! Being Chat is all I have! You can't take that away from me!"

"I didn't want to, and we were all holding out hope, but it's really too late kid."  
"Why? What did I do?"

The dark kwami turned to Tikki and Alfred, holding his paws out. Tikki floated forward until she was less than a foot away from Adrien's face. "When you were possessed by Dark Cupid, you accidentally brushed Marinette with your cataclysm. And when humans are touched with the power of destruction, Ladybug can't bring them back. The most I could do was keep it from taking over her body. But you caused imbalance in your partnership with Marinette. First as Adrien, when you refused to stand up for her to her bully and then as Chat when he refused to help with akumas until Ladybug accepted your affections. Your actions caused the balance to vanish, and the destruction started taking over her body."

"What?" the kid breathed out, his face pale with horror.

"She's going to die tonight, because you refused to listen when Plagg was trying to get you to change. The only other option to save her life is to find another Black Cat before she's gone."

Adrien hesitated, glancing from his ring to the girl lying in Tim's lap. The girl whose breathing was slowing to an alarming rate. The girl that already looked like dead, but for the rise and fall of her chest. Tim still wasn't sure what they were talking about, but he knew that the kid needed to give up the ring in order to save Marinette.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he whispered.

Tim stiffened, as did Jason, who he knew was prepared to attack this kid to get the ring. But then, Adrien slid the ring off of his finger and offered it to the black kwami.

"I'm sorry, Plagg. I should have listened, and I shouldn't have hurt her in the first place. I let my idolizing of her blind me to everything else, and as a result, Marinette suffered. Find another Chat Noir. Someone that can protect her better than I can."

Plagg gave what Tim could only assume was a smile. Then, he turned and flew over to the small group huddled on the ground. As he got closer, Tim realized that the kwami looked like a tiny cat with a disproportionately sized head and large, acid green eyes. The kwami landed on Marinette's chest, and he turned his gaze on the girl.

"I always hate it when a Ladybug gets hurt like this," he mutters, ears drooping. The cat turned its big green eyes on Marinette's parents. "I'm so sorry that this happened to your little girl. I wish it had never happened."  
The red kwami came and landed next to Plagg.

"Can you sense another Black Cat?" she asked and he nodded.

"I understand that identities are rather important, and this is a really large crowd, so I'm going to forego the protocols for this." Plagg took another look at Marinette before turning his gaze to Tim, who was still cradling the girl close to him. "You are a perfect fit for the Black Cat Miraculous. With this miraculous, you will be transformed into a superhero and granted the power of destruction. Use it wisely. As you can see," he paused and threw a glance at Marinette, "destruction cannot be taken lightly. I can sense a great mind in you, and you understand the importance of a well-placed blow rather than brute force. If you choose to accept, you will need to work with Marinette to protect the city of Paris from the attacks of Hawkmoth and Mayura, the current holders of the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses. You are already a hero, so you understand the need for secrecy."

Tim nodded. He still wasn't sure what a Miraculous was, nor what that meant for him, but he understood the gravity of what was being asked of him. He would need to leave Gotham until the situation in Paris was resolved. He would protect Ladybug and be her partner, in and out of the mask.

"Will you take the responsibility of the Black Cat Miraculous?"

"I will."

"And do you promise to always protect Marinette, no matter the situation?"

Tim looked down at the girl in his arms. She was small, delicate, but he could tell that without the cataclysm, she would be a force to reckon with. Fierce, kind, compassionate, and creative, if the initials sewn into her collar were any indication. He would gladly help her.

"I will."

"Here you go, kid," Plagg said, holding out the ring.

Tim took it and, with careful maneuvering, placed it on the middle finger of his left hand.

"With this ring, I, thee wed," Jason intoned above him.

Tim flipped him off with the same hand that he had just put the Miraculous on.

Tikki and Plagg were ignoring the humans, their eyes focused on Marinette. "Is it going away?" Tikki asked.

"I can't tell. Only Master Fu could tell us if its working or not, but he's in Paris."

Tim had a hard time focusing on the two kwamis. His focus was on the girl he held close to him. She was his age, seventeen, and he recognized the same lines in her face as he did on his. Lines put there by bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders. "We'll share the weight," he murmured, left hand going to cradle her head while the other came up and hovered next to her cheek. "I'll keep you safe," he promised, his thumb gently brushing her cheekbone.

"They're a True Pair," he heard someone whisper, but he didn't care. His whole soul was focused completely on Marinette, almost yearning for her too wake up and look at him, smile at him, talk with him. He needed her soul to respond with his.

"Baby Bird?" Tim could feel Jason's hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't acknowledge it.

Tikki sat on top of Marinette's head, her big blue eyes staring into Tim's soul. "You are a True Pair," she giggled. "We haven't had one of those in thousands of years."

"What's a True Pair," he heard himself ask. It was as if his mind was disconnected, and he couldn't think of anything besides Marinette.

"There are people that are well matched to a specific Miraculous. Then, there are true holders, like you and Marinette. Alfred was Duusu's true holder of the Peacock Miraculous. And then, a True Pair are partners, whose souls balance each other perfectly in every way. Their souls speak to each other, and you are bonded to them for life. It's incredibly rare, but you found your Other Half. And you can only feel it so strongly because you both have Miraculouses now. Before, you just wanted her to be safe, like you would any civilian, but now, you care about her."

"Wait, Little Red here has a soulmate?" Jason asked.

"That's one way to put it I guess. It's more like their souls understand each other perfectly and are always in perfect harmony."

Tim didn't care. He didn't care if the universe decided he needed another half. He felt at peace for the first time in a long time, and he didn't care that it came from the girl lying in his arms. Tim leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. His soul was calm, reaching out to touch Marinette's. He could feel where the cataclysm had damaged her, and his soul wrapped around it angrily. It didn't belong there. He tugged on it, and with only a little reluctance, the darkness seeped out of the girl's soul and body.

Gasps were heard all around them, and Tim opened his eyes and pulled away from Marinette, looking for the source of commotion. A black ooze hung in the air above Marinette, bubbling and crackling with energy.

"You--" Tikki started, eyes wide. "You pulled the destruction out!"

"How is that even possible?" Plagg asked, eyeing it with trepidation.

"We've never encountered something like this, before. Most Ladybugs that have been touched by the cataclysm have died within 24 hours, since the Black Cat attacked them on purpose. This situation is so different than anything we've ever encountered that this didn't even cross my mind. I just assumed that the cataclysm would go back to the way it was before the balance was tipped."

Tim didn't pay any more attention to the kwamis because the girl in his arms stirred. Immediately, he looked back down at her, eyes searching for any sign of Marinette waking up. A flutter of her eyelashes. A deeper inhale. A twitch of her fingers. Tim brushed her bangs away from her face, fingers lingering on her cheek for a moment.

With a small gasp, her eyes opened, and Tim found himself gazing into the depths of silver eyes, molten with relief, joy, and overwhelming love. She gave him a small smile, before her eyes shifted to look at the people gathered around.

"Maman, Papa," she whispered, her voice hoarse. Tim quickly helped her sit up, mindful of the cloud of destruction still hanging over them.

"Oh, honey, you're okay," her mom sobbed, pulling her daughter into a crushing hug, which the girl gladly returned. Tim kept one hand on her waist, keeping her balanced, as he could tell that she wasn't back to full strength. Marinette's Papa joined the hug, and Tim let her parents pull her into their embrace, even if it was away from him.

"We need to do something about that destruction," a voice said in his ear. Tim jumped, and looked down at the Black Cat kwami. At some point, he had settled there, without Tim realizing it.

"What do you mean?"

"That much destruction can level entire cities, kid. We can't just leave it out in the open like that."

"Oh, right." Tim watched the destruction in fascination before his more logical side _finally_ kicked in. Now that Marinette wasn't as close to him, his soul wasn't demanding his attention, and he could think about the situation. "How do we get rid of it?"

"Two ways. Destroy something large or absorb it into the ring when you're transformed. Though the second can be dangerous. I honestly have no idea if it would even work, so I say we go the first route."

"I vote Joker," Jason interjected. Tim flashed a grin at his older brother before shaking his head.

"No, we can't kill someone with this. Just look at what it did to Marinette." He thought for a moment. "Plagg, can you use your power to destroy ideas? Intangible things?"

The tiny cat blinked at him. Once. Twice. Then a diabolical grin lit up his face. "You really are a perfect cat. Yes it can, but it's a little tricky to use."

Tim glanced over at the group of French kids that hadn't even noticed the drama going on ten feet away, focusing instead on the girl in the center. "I'm close friends with all the Waynes. I grew up with Bruce's sons, you know. Dick and Jason are the best brothers I could ever ask for and Damian is just a little sweetheart. Tim, is, of course, so amazing. I mean, he's a CEO at seventeen. He's been asking me out for years, but I don't want it to seem like I'm only interested in him for his money."

"Oh girl, no one could ever think that you're after money. You should date him."

"He invited me to go to the Wayne Gala this year. You know, the biggest party of the year with the biggest celebrities in the world attending. I want to say yes, but I don't know if they'll want an ambassador's daughter to crash the party."

"You won't be crashing if you're invited. Say yes and have fun. Wear a pretty dress and catch up with all of your friends."

Tim stopped listening, but he did look up at Jason. Both their grins were wide and ferocious. No one lied about their family and got away with it.  
"Plagg, what if we used the destruction to destroy that girl's lies?"

The kwami's smile grew even wider, if that was possible. "You really will make a great Chat Noir. It's a good idea to think outside the box, and that girl's lies are ENORMOUS. It's perfect to get rid of all this destruction."

Tim nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"For this, it's better if I do it. I'll teach you how, later on, but I don't want anything bad to happen, even to that liar." Plagg floated up to the destruction and gently blew on it. Immediately, it floated over to the group of kids and dissipated into the air above the one that was lying. The change was immediate. The kid with glasses started looking something up, spouting off well-known and well-documented facts about the Waynes before other kids started chiming in with proof against other lies she had told.

"Thank you," a soft voice said. Tim turned and saw Marinette looking at him with those pools of silver, her smile radiant in its happiness. "Thank you for saving me."

"It was my pleasure, Marinette," Tim answered honestly. It was a good thing that he had gone to this location instead of Dick, who had originally planned on being there.

Tim smiled back at Marinette, and he reached out, without even realizing he was doing so, grabbing her hand and twining their fingers together. "I'm glad you're alright," he murmured.

Marinette leaned forward and kissed his cheek, her cheeks a rosy red. "Thank you for everything, my kitty."

Tim would forever deny blushing brightly that night, but everyone knew that that was one of the happiest moments of his life.


End file.
